Louisiana and Texas residents are getting the short end of the stick thanks to governor's Jindal and Perry.

Both governor's are refusing to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. As a result, thousands of residents in both states will miss out on much needed health care benefits and taxpayers will be paying for health care they won't receive.

According to an article in the Washington Post, states that refuse Medicaid expansion will continue to be on the hook for billions in uncompensated care costs - as when uninsured residents visit the emergency room. By refusing to expand Medicaid, Texas will lose $9.2 billion in federal funding in 2022. Louisiana will give up more than $1 billion.

So why is this happening?

I believe both governors are basing their decisions on politics and not what is best for their states. Both are willing to say no to Medicaid expansion that could help thousands of their citizens rather than align themselves with a president and political party contrary to their own.

Some of our KSLA Viewers emailed us their opinions about the Medicaid expansion.

From Marsha Brown:

"Bravo for your comments today about keeping politics out of healthcare decisions made by the 'leaders' of Louisiana and Texas. It is time to consider what's best for our citizens."

From Amye:

"It's so very sad when people are put in a position to help others that really and truly need their help when we forget about The Christ that should be in each and every one of us! It's a blessing to know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will remember all that we do!"

From John Daniel:

Your editorial in support of ACA Obamacare shows just how far removed your liberal bias is from the people you are supposed to deliver the news to. You stated that the governors of Louisiana and Texas refusal of federal money for Medicaid (Obamacare) was bad for the state's they govern was just untrue. Who do you think the federal government get that (free) aid money from? The U.S. taxpayers are tired of Washington D.C. collecting taxes to dole back to the state after Washington takes out its cut. Who do you think will end up paying for Medicaid when the federal government pulls out? Our governors did the smart thing by not supporting the ACA (Obamacare) which is just another word for wealth redistribution.

From Cary Mullen:

I was unfortunate enough to have KSLA on Thursday morning and listened to the one sided opinion from an uninformed liberal. These "free" funds are not free, this is taxpayer money. And if the states take the funds now, they will be on the hook to supply state money in the future. I am a Texas resident and am proud of Gov. Rick Perry and Gov Bobby Jindal. They are doing exactly what we elected them to do, and that is push back against the socialist policies of the Obama administration. Since it is obvious you are in lockstep with them, why not move to a blue state? The farther away from the ArkLaTex the better, we don't need liberals here!

From Lee Simmons, Jr.:

Thanks for informing us. We need to ask our governor to expand medicare. It sad that we have the worst streets in the nation and the governor refused to take advance of money that could have been used to fix our streets. Thanks again for informing us.

"I plan to stay positive, unfollow those negative folks on social media and only say things that I would be comfortable saying in front of my kids or my Mom," KSLA's Joe Sciortino says. "What’s your plan to have a great 2018?" (Source: KSLA News 12)

I plan to stay positive, unfollow those negative folks on social media and only say things that I would be comfortable saying in front of my kids or my Mom. What’s your plan to have a great 2018?

Essentially, it comes down to people deciding to use a gun to settle an issue. We need to make an honest assessment of why someone makes this decision ... . (Source: KSLA News 12)

Essentially, it comes down to people deciding to use a gun to settle an issue. We need to make an honest assessment of why someone makes this decision and how in today's culture we often look to blame these actions on everything else - rather than place the blame on the person who made the decision.

Essentially, it comes down to people deciding to use a gun to settle an issue. We need to make an honest assessment of why someone makes this decision and how in today's culture we often look to blame these actions on everything else - rather than place the blame on the person who made the decision.